


Rooftop Romance

by wintersorchid



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Because I love this pair and they need more love, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-01
Updated: 2014-10-19
Packaged: 2018-02-15 16:03:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2235036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wintersorchid/pseuds/wintersorchid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the neighbor woman had moved into the apartment across the way, Ivan had been sure she wouldn't affect his life too much. He barely interacted with his direct neighbors, let alone ones across from his balcony.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The bedroom window looked out onto a brick wall, the kitchen sink leaked sometimes, the floorboards creaked horribly, but in spite of these flaws, the apartment was perfect for a first time renter. It was cheap, close to campus, and Ivan was sure to find a job too, since it was also on the bus route. Additionally, the living room window happened to look out on the small courtyard and had a box for planting plants. Perhaps courtyard was too generous a term. Scrap of land was more accurate, and it was overshadowed by the building that surrounded it to the point where his balcony on the seventh floor almost touched the balcony opposite him.

Whoever lived there was certainly neat, if the part he could see was any indication. The sofa was a nice green colour and certainly looked soft. A few paintings hung up on the wall and he could kinda see into the kitchen. The living room walls were painted green and he wondered if they were there before the current tenant or he painted them. Ivan assumed it was a him. The neatness seemed too… neat for a woman and the décor suggested a man. Still, he didn’t see anything of the other tenant for a while, busy as he was with his school and trying to find a job.

One day there was a rug hanging out on the other’s balcony rail and a pretty lady on the chair. Quite the surprise. Still, she seemed to be about his age and hopefully would continue to be a good neighbour. When school picked up, they both fell into a steady and fairly constant routine. The lady would leave early, early in the morning, and return before nightfall only on Tuesdays and Fridays. On these days, she could be seen working on her computer or drawing on her table, using rulers and tools that he didn’t know the name for. Her windows and balcony door were usually open to let in the warm breeze and tolerable heat, and Ivan usually found himself watching her as he did chores in his kitchen or living room. While he vacuumed, he would glance over to find her nibbling on the end of a pencil, lost in thought. As he washed dishes, he noted that she ate healthy food most of the time, but sometimes dipped into a tub of ice cream or made cookies.

Her green apron was cute, matching the rest of the house. Did everything come in green for her? Were her towels and sheets green? Did she surround herself with the colour as much as possible because she loved it or because it was aesthetically pleasing? Then again, he had no business knowing what colour her bed sheets were. He probably wouldn’t create a good image of himself if she knew he looked into her private house fairly often. Was it creepy to watch her? Certainly if some strange man had been watching, practically stalking!, his sisters, he would have been furious, but… Shit, could he really excuse himself by saying, “well, I’m not thinking perverse thoughts about the lady and even if she was a man I’d watch because watching someone is more interesting than watching nothing”? It wouldn’t excuse anyone else and he couldn’t really break rules for himself. From then on, he tried not to look too much across the way for fear of upsetting both her and himself. 

In the winter, his rule had to be broken. The first heavy snow brought large icicles to their balconies and Ivan had stepped outside to knock them off his railing and overhang without looking outside first. He paused in the doorway when he saw her, not five feet away and doing the same with a broom, aggressively knocking them into the courtyard where he could hear them breaking. Taking a deep breath, he stepped outside with her to start on his own task.

The first swipes got most of the ice and some careful hits got the rest. Looking over the shoulder at the lady across the way, he found her sitting in her usual chair with a steaming cup, watching him.

“I could have just asked you to get the icicles over here,” she commented, taking another sip. “You could have gotten them easily”

“It’s not too bad. I’m tall.” He shrugged and set the pan he had been using on the balcony carefully, not wanting it to fall off.

“Want some coffee?” she asked, standing up carefully and holding up her mug. “Come on over. I’m in 727.” She flashed him another smile before stepping inside, leaving him alone outside, gaping after her.

Surely she wasn’t…. asking him over. Into her place. She was. She really was. Rushing inside, he tore off his shirt and kicked off his slippers, hunting down a nice sweater and shoes so he didn’t come across as a complete slob. Well, he kinda was, since his house was messy and he hadn’t combed his hair today but in his defence, it was a weekend and he did live alone. Smoothing down his sweater, he hurried into the hallway, pausing only to lock his door. He found his way around the corners and into the hall where her place was, knocking on her door nervously.

Thankfully she opened the door, releasing a wave of warm air that smelled strongly of bread into his face and he inhaled deeply.

“Hello again,” she greeted, holding her door open as he stepped inside.

“I’m Louise,” he was told as she led him down the short hallway into her kitchen.

“Ivan. Braginsky. It’s nice to meet you,” he managed as he sat down. Looking over her outfit, he was glad he changed, since she was well dressed in nice jeans and a button-up shirt, as green as her eyes. Now that he was this close, he could see the colour of her eyes and how there was a small scar through her eyebrow, how the tendons in her hands moved under her skin when she set a mug in front of him.

“Milk or sugar?” she asked, taking a step towards her fridge, opening it when he nodded.

“And sugar, please.” It was a little too late to tell her he had never tried coffee and preferred tea, so he’d put in lots of additions and hope for the best. Louise set the milk and sugar in front of him, sitting across the table with her own coffee mug, sipping at the dark liquid slowly. 

"I've been watching you," he blurted out, unable to hold it in anymore. Thankfully she did not punch him, but one slender eyebrow did rise and he found his eyes tracing it over and over. "I mean, from across the way. You're so nice to watch and you're interesting especially when you're drawing, but I haven't been stalking you, just watching."

Oh dear. This wasn't going well so he took a gulp of lukewarm coffee to distract him and to shut himself up. Louise traced the top of her mug with a finger and snorted, an unlady-like sound from such a refined looking woman.

"I've been watching you too," she told him bluntly. "How could I not? You're right across the way and our windows meet up."

Oh. He hadn't thought she'd been watching him as well. Did that make his watching okay? Or just negate it? He wasn't sure so he nodded and took another sip. For some reason the coffee tasted stronger when it was cooler.

"It's alright," she reassured him, briefly touching the back of his hand. "Like you said, you're not stalking me and I don't walk around uncovered. I'm not upset."

With the awkward guilt out of the way, Ivan felt freer to talk to her and they chatted about their school work, where they worked, what they liked. They had a class together, a huge 300-student class so it was no surprise that they hadn’t seen each other before. Louise worked at a coffee shop while she worked for an engineering degree; Ivan worked in the library, still uncertain of what he wanted to do. They both had started late for various reasons though.

“My family moved here when I was sixteen,” he told her, now with tea instead of coffee. “We didn’t have a lot of money, so I’m the first to go to college. My sisters want to move back to Russia and my parents are… gone.”

Dead for differing reasons. His mother had always been frail but his hardy father who Ivan strongly resembled had drank so much his body just quit on him. He didn’t like to talk about them and didn’t offer any more than what he said, so when Louise changed the subject, he gratefully accepted the chance to listen to her talk.

She went into the army, as was practically expected from her family, even from her musician brother. Boot camp, ROTC, the works. Now, Louise was working on her degree and on break, so to speak: she only had a few classes and summer camp required of her, and after she graduated, she’d serve as an officer or in the army reserves.

“I came to university late, but I think it’s better this way. I can find a job, save up some money, then live alone and do what I want.”

Standing to get herself a new cup of tea, she got a plate of cookies out of her fridge and set them on the table.

“They’re a few days old, sorry. I’ll have to get some more the next time I go in, but I didn’t think I’d have anyone over.”

They were still good and he helped himself to a few along with more tea. When the cookies and tea were finished, Ivan opted to voluntarily leave rather than wait for Louise to ask him to leave. He did help her pick up dishes and promised to come back for more.

“I do live right across the way,” he reminded her as he lead the way to the door, Louise following him to lock up behind him. “Just… throw something at my window or here! I’ll give you my number.”

There was a bit of an embarrassing scramble as she tried to remember where her phone was left, leaving Ivan waiting at the front door as she hurried to get it from her bedroom. 

When it was handed over, he put his name and number in, adding and erasing a heart from his name since it seemed too… forward to add it in. Giving it back, they smiled awkwardly at each other, both unsure of what to do now.

“Well…. Call or text when you want company,” Ivan managed, ducking his head in an insecure bow of sorts and grabbing her hand to shake it.

She squeezed his hand and shook it harder than he was expected, and they stood there, hands shaking slower and slower until they were just holding hands and rocking them back and forth.

“Well, I’ll be off then,” he managed again, and they dropped hands.


	2. Chapter 2

Closing and locking the door behind him, Louise shook her head. A strange man, but not too off-putting. Someone who might make a good friend in this new town. The dishes and table were cleaned, the dishwasher started, her school work messed with some, and by the time night finished setting, she was ready for bed. Tomorrow she’d message him and ask if he wanted to stop by her coffee shop for a drink or sweet. He seemed like he would like that, if his appetite for the week-old cookies were an indication.

The morning went much the same way – early shift at the shop, classes, another shift, then home where she made dinner and worked on class projects. Ivan’s light was on and she could see him in his living room reading. He picked up his phone to read her text when she sent it, looking over into her place for a confirmation nod and wave, and within five minutes he was knocking on her door again. Tea was already brewing when he stepped in.

“I wasn’t sure when you would be up,” she explained as she poured them some at her table. “And I work an early shift, so I didn’t want to text you and wake you up.”

“I don’t mind; I usually sleep right through anything that’s not my alarm.”

His hands engulfed her small coffee mugs, fingers linking together to maximize contact with the warm ceramic, and she found herself smiling at that.

“So… Russia, huh? Where in Russia?”

“Near Petersburg, Saint Petersburg. And yes, it was cold in the winter but surprisingly hot in the summer. No, I did not live in a palace.”

Louise hid her smile behind her mug. “What about in a normal house like a normal person?”

“An apartment, actually. It was cramped and got far too hot in the winter, but it was nice for our means. What about you?”

“Just a plain house with a backyard. I moved here on my own so this is the first time I’m living somewhere other than where I grew up. I did have three brothers, all older.”

“Two sisters, one older, one younger. I would have loved a brother.”

“And my dogs, but I don’t suppose they count.”

He shook his head. “No, but they were company.”

More tea was poured after they had exhausted polite chitchat again.

“I don’t suppose you want to sit together in Dr. Hutchinson’s class,” he offered after a long silence.

“I would. Someone has to keep me awake through his ramblings. Who knew you could go off on a tangent about rocks?”

Ivan shrugged. “Interesting rocks.”

“Still rocks. I’m not too worried about the final because he keeps hinting about adding things he hasn’t covered in lecture and I keep up with the course from his notes and the book.”

The whole class was a joke as far as Louise was concerned, but she needed the credits and it was easy enough to sit still long enough to take notes and later compile them with the notes from her book. Her engineering course was far more interesting as it introduced different forms of engineering she could go into and while she knew a good deal of the material, she could still find new bits she liked and didn’t know, as well as a good professor who stressed the importance of creativity and innovation.

They would have relocated to the living room with a fresh pot of tea but Ivan excused himself again, citing studying needs. “You’re welcome to come over tomorrow at six,” he offered at the door. “Or I could call you since I have your number.”

“I have a late class, so unless you want me to come over after eight, I’m afraid we’re out of luck.”

“Oh. What about Friday? The student organisation is hosting a movie night, we could see what they have and go to one of those movies.”

They agreed on one of the later ones, since the group tended to show childish movies neither of them were interested in first, then more action and dramatic movies later at night.  
Neither of them contacted the other until Friday night, when Ivan called to make sure they were still going together. They took the bus down to the campus and found a seat in the room at the back where their tall forms wouldn’t get in anyone’s way. Unfortunately, a group of rowdy students also sat in the back and ruined the whole movie for everyone and by the time they were kicked out, most students had drifted out. Louise and Ivan opted to head for a nearby restaurant for dinner and a drink, as well as to talk more. The hole in the wall wasn’t too busy but did have the odd group or straggler coming in from a house party or bar for a bite, leaving the two alone in their corner.

By the time they got back home late, they had agreed on, for the foreseeable future, studying together and going out like this every other week, since Louise’s work schedule didn’t allow for many late night weekends.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry, I've been having computer troubles. Two more chapters are written, but I can't get onto Word or Notepad or anything, so I've had to write on my tablet and transfer it over. Thank you for sticking with me!

For some reason, Louise really appealed to Ivan in various ways. As a teenager, he hadn’t cared too much about girls or boys, preferring the company of his family or the few friends he managed to make over dates. When his family splintered with the deaths of his parents, he and his sisters had split apart for a while, Ivan drifting apart to live on his own and save for college while his sisters kept the farm to work.

Now that he and Louise were.... Friends, dating, doing their.... Thing, he was very interested in the hows and whys of women and more specifically, how to go about finding out about them. Their movie and drinks had been going on for almost two months and he was over at her place quite a lot now after dinner and on the weekends, studying of course but also making bread and swapping recipes they enjoyed. Louise was a very good cook but only decent with sweets, save her German bread with nuts and fruit. He had not been expecting them when he first cut into a fresh loaf, but it was enjoyable for breakfast and her loaves tended to last a week or so. With the heavy winter settling in, they often sat together on the couch with several blankets to keep warm.

The last official week of classes ended in a heavy snow, but since Ivan and Louise hadn’t planned to go out anyway, they simply ordered a pizza and made some tea. Maybe it was their ages that lead to them being so quiet, but Ivan felt good around a quiet woman who had a similar temperament.

The movie they had picked was courtesy of Louise, a German film set in the early 1900s about a killer on a community farm of sorts, he wasn’t paying too much attention as it was very boring. Louise loved it so for her sake he’d pretend to watch it. Besides, she hadn’t complained when he rented a three hour Russian film a few weeks back. He owed her so boring German movie in a boring German living room it was. German-American. Whatever, as the kids said. From what he had gathered her father was from Germany proper and followed his American sweetheart home where they married and had at least three sons and a daughter. They didn’t talk much about family so he could only work with what had gathered from chats that weren’t predominately about schoolwork.

After the movie they cuddled on the couch under the blankets in an intimate, friendly way, arms around each other and hips pressed together as they idly talked about anything that came to mind. Since it was the weekend, they could stay up late without fear of missing a class or work so eventually another movie was picked from Netflix and Louise pulled her arm back under the covers to rest on his stomach lightly, unable to feel how his guts seemed to twist into knots.


	4. Chapter 4

They stayed in contact throughout the winter break, mostly with short calls since Ivan was limited by the amount of minutes he had, as well as not being able to receive any pictures much to Louise's consternation since she wanted to send him pictures of her dogs, who she assured him were very cute. He'd wait until he could see them in person before making the call. The bus trip from his apartment to his old home was long and tedious, but the calls from Louise were nice, since she talked to him as much as she could whenever he was within range - which wasn't a lot unfortunately, and his phone died not an hour in from all the roaming and calling. Still, she happily took his call when he called her later that night after he and his phone had recharged. Kateryna and Natasha were very interested in who was constantly calling, but he'd just lie and say friends from school. They seemed to accept the lies at least enough to leave him mostly alone whenever he stepped outside to have some privacy with his phone. His sisters’ house phone number had been given to Louise too but the first time they had talked, Kateryna had gotten on the other phone and tried to talk to Louise. Mortifying. When he was ready, he’d introduce all of them, but for now, he wanted to keep her a secret, even if she was a poorly kept one and he felt selfish. He’d want to know about anyone dating his sisters just like they wanted to know, but.... This was his first date-slash-relationship and he didn’t want sisters eavesdropping on the phone. They could wait to meet her in person.

On the twenty-fourth, Louise was too busy to talk much and Christmas Day she was unavailable all day. As much as he understood, he still found himself constantly checking his phone just in case he had missed a call from her, even as he helped his sisters clean their house in early preparation for the New Year. Their Christmas would come later, but it was tradition that they welcome the new year with neatness in their lives.

As the days slowly wore on, he found himself feeling.... Out of place, if he was honest with himself. He had moved away and while he certainly hadn’t meant to, he had more or less established his own household of one and now to find himself putting cups in the wrong place was discomforting. When he and his sisters celebrated Christmas, he only had a day left with them before he had to return due to the short Winter Break and long bus ride. Louise picked him up at the bus station much like she had dropped him off and they picked up dinner on their way home. Louise had been home for a few days so her apartment was warm. Ivan quickly dropped off his jacket and bag, and hurried to Louise’s place, not even bothering to knock on the door. She was in the kitchen making tea and he curled up in the blankets until Louise set the tea mugs on her coffee table. Only then did he uncurl enough to get one for himself, sipping at it as she unwound his scarf from his neck and folded it up, setting it aside for him to get later.

“It’s new,” she remarked, holding her own mug carefully.

“My sister gave it to me. Katerina, the oldest. She thought my old one would be getting ratty.”

Just because he went through scarves constantly as a child didn’t mean he was still careless as an adult. Back then he was small and they were long, constantly catching on things and getting hugged and sucked on because they were security blankets of a sort. Now that he was grown, he only wore them when it was cold out. Louise and his sisters were the only ones beside him who were able to touch his scarves. Leaning against her, he sipped at his tea as she set up a movie for them, something mindless that they could watch without paying too much attention to. Once she was done, she leaned back against the couch and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, holding him close for added warmth.

This was what he really liked about Louise, her warmth. She didn’t care if he tripped over his words or stammered out of confusion, or if she did, she didn’t say anything and gently corrected him when he needed it. And! She helped him with his homework and kept him awake in classes and messaged him cute messages. Her dogs weren’t as cute as she claimed though, but he pretended they were for her. Cuddling closer, he strained up to kiss her chin before resting his head on her chest. Her heart was beating calmly under his ear and he could hear her lungs working.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sorry for the delay again and for this note. However this story was supposed to be about five chapters long.... It's not going to be. Hope you all enjoy and thank you for the kudos and review! I'll try to add more dialog and don't worry, there will be sex, promise. It just won't be this chapter, but hopefully the next one

School wore on as it usually did, Ivan and Louise opting to take completely different courses rather than be with each other too much with class then hanging out afterwards. By the time midterms came around, Ivan had left a good assortment of sweaters and shirts over at Louise’s house accidentally, which she washed, folded, and returned the week before spring break. They smelled like her, most likely from being washed and stored with her clothes until she could return them to him. Rather than go home for less than a week, Ivan went down with Louise on a day trip to see her family which turned into staying the night. They left early Tuesday morning so they’d have plenty of time, allowing for traffic, stops, and other seen and unforeseen circumstances. Ivan fell asleep fairly quickly while Louise drove, but she woke him at this first stop to complain that he wasn’t doing his job as fellow traveler in helping her stay alert. Some snacks and soda were bought and off they went again this time with music and conversation.

They arrived before lunch and were greeted by Louise’s oldest brother, Gilbert who looked Ivan up and down with a smirk which left him feeling unsettled. Gilbert went back down the hallway, calling out that Louise had finally brought her boyfriend home, not stopping even when Louise threw her car keys at him. Their mother was a smaller woman who looked similar enough to the two siblings he had seen so he could easily say they were hers.

Louise’s father and other siblings were out and about, they hadn’t been expected until later, Louise’s mother explained. Gilbert was home because he had taken the day off, Roderich hadn’t come since he and his new wife were still settling into their new home, having just moved from an apartment not a week ago. Basch had come in the night before with his ward and they were staying in his and Roderich’s old room. Ivan nodded along as her mother talked, understanding that most of it was for Luise’s benefit not his. The keys had since been recovered and hung up, so when Gilbert gleefully informed Ivan that he’d be sleeping on the couch Louise had nothing to throw but a wadded up napkin.

”We’re not staying the night,” she told her mother who had come over to set a plate of sliced tomatoes and lettuce on the table. 

“What a shame. I had already made up the beds for you too,” Mrs. Beilschmidt (Ivan was convinced he’d never be able to pronounce Louise’s last name correctly) commented sadly, as if she really was hurt they weren’t staying.

“I’m sure we can come back Mrs. Bell-ssshmidit,” he managed, mangling her name in a way that felt like it would cause the earth itself to open up and swallow him whole. Louise had corrected him the first time but told him to just call her Louise instead of Miss Beilschmidt, so he had never uttered it out loud again until now.

The three seemed indifferent, most likely because they were used to hearing it butchered. Gilbert was eating a tomato slice and Louise was picking through the fruit bowl, most likely for the softest piece to eat first.

Their mother fussed around the kitchen, setting some meat and bread on the table, and ordering her children to set it. Despite Ivan’s offers, he was told to sit down and make himself a sandwich while she filled the glasses with what looked like clear soda. When he drank it though, he was rather rudely surprised with sparkling water. Ewwww. Grimacing, he set it down, determined to be polite and not say anything.

Louise sat down with a plate of sliced fruit and switched his cup for the one she had brought with her. Thankfully it was regular. boring tap water. His Louise really did love him. He was going to swoon.

Gilbert was going on about something as Ivan sipped at his new cup, rambling on and on about a dog he had found and how he had to give it back. Hmm. He might not get along so well with this guy.

His sandwich was good though and he was busy eating it when the door behind him opened. His back was to whoever it was but he stood up anyway and almost choked on his sandwich. Well. Clearly Louise got her height from her father, if the tall, broad man who had come in was really her parent. Yep. There was just too much of a resemblance. Swallowing hard, he held out his hand and shook Mr. Beilschmidt's hand, feeling his bones creak when the older man squeezed them. Ow.

"Albrecht Beilschmidt," he introduced himself, accent still noticeable even after all this time. Louise came around the table while Albrecht stared Ivan down and hugged her father briefly. Definitely not a touchy-feely family, which explained why Louise usually had him lead when it came to physical contact. He'd have to remember that if they ever got anywhere. Dammit, he was thinking about sex with Louise now, right in front of her father.

No one seemed to notice anything off and he was allowed to finish his sandwich in peace as they made their own plates. As soon as Louise was done, she grabbed their dishes and put them in the dishwasher before hauling him off to her old room. It was blue and the walls were all but covered in posters of bands and he didn't recognize, with two twins beds on either side of the room. His small overnight bag ("Just in case we have to stop and spend the night somewhere," was what Louise had said) was set on the one to the left and Louise plopped down on it with familiarity.

"Well. Looks like we'll be staying a night. Is that okay?"

"Sure! Your family seems very nice"

She snorted and dropped his bag onto the floor, patting the spot next to her. "You can sleep here with me, by yourself, or on the couch."

"Would your family let me?" That was surprising, but Louise was a grown woman... But surely they didn't want their daughter and her boyfriend - a man they barely knew - sleeping in the same bed.

"We would push the beds together, but Gilbert's sleeping in here." Ah. That explained why they didn't think anything would happen. Even the most depraved man would be hard-pressed to have sex with a family member in the room. Hehe, hard.

Alright, so he was immature in some ways, but he liked Louise a lot, so he wouldn't dream of ruining their relationship because he couldn't keep his hands to himself. But he also really, really wanted to sleep with her, maybe even use her chest as a pillow again. Mmmmm. Choices, choices.

Gilbert wandered in to give Ivan another hard look, so just to spite him Ivan made up his mind then and there he was going to sleep in the same bed Louise would be.

The front door opened and shut noisily, Albrecht calling for Louise and Gilbert, and when Ivan followed them, he found another pale family member who was shorter than the others with a small girl behind him, being fussed over by Louise's mother. Basch and Lily, then. He introduced himself and stood back as everyone settled in again. A lively house when everyone was comfortable with each other.

Before dinner, Albrecht cornered Ivan and lead him outside for a quick talk. It wasn't as bad as Ivan had been expecting, but he still felt a fool, especially with Albrecht's short, precise sentences.

"You are attending university with my daughter?"

Ivan nodded.

"You are living in the same apartment with her?"

Another nod. Did Albrecht know he pronounced his 'are' as 'ah'? Surely not... Maybe he just couldn't fix it, just like Ivan couldn't really fix his '-ing' words. They tended to come out as '-k'. 'I am goink to the store' and the like.

"And you are romantically interested."

That wasn't a question but Ivan nodded anyway. Albrecht grunted and clapped his shoulder. "You two are still young. Enjoy university." And he went inside while Ivan was left outside, absently petting a dog who was sniffing his pockets.

Did he mean he didn't think Ivan and Louise would last? Their relationship was a fling only lasting through college? That was... disappointing, but really, how many Americans married in college? He would bet the number was low. Women tended to marry in their early twenties in his homeland, so they were both right at what he'd consider 'normal' marrying age... Oh dear. When they got back, he'd have to ask her exactly what she was expecting out of their relationship.

Heading inside with the dog (Grey? Black? Who named their dog Blackie? Someone who wasn't good with names, that's who. He suspected Louise since her laptop was literally named "Computer 1" and he was in her phone as "Braginsky, Ivan". On his phone, she was "<3 Louise <3" ), he found the family in various stages of cleaning or preparing dinner. Louise was at the table, picking up various things as Gilbert wiped down the tablecloth.

As soon as she was free, she offered to show him around the town. They headed out the front door with no one noticing or stopping them, and held hands down the street in the warm spring day. It was a smaller town, a good enough size that they still couldn't walk around it but she could point out interesting things like the post office and library, her old high school....

"That's really it. It's uh, pretty boring," she mumbled, turning away to look at the playground in the park they were passing. "But it's familiar."

He could understand that and squeezed her hand in acknowledgement.


	6. Chapter 6

They wound up spending two days at the Beilschmidt’s house, thoroughly messing up Louise’s plans for the week. Ivan didn’t mind. She may have wanted to get home and do homework, but he was happy getting to know her family. Gilbert and Basch were interesting fellows and quite friendly to him. Mrs Beilschmidt reminded him of his mother and Mr Beilschmidt was… Well he wasn’t around too much, so Ivan had to go off of the stern man from the first meeting and the friendly father who was happy to see his grown children when he came home from work. He had been treated nicely by all and Mrs Beilschmidt even hugged him when they left. If Louise was irritated by the unforseen stay, she didn’t show it. In fact she seemed rather pleased.

“They like you,” she said after they had been driving a while. “Father in particular thinks you’re a good guy.”

“Oh. Good. I was a little worried, since….”

“Since he talked to you the first night? He does that to everyone, friend or, er, lover.” She cleared her throat. “The point is you made a good impression .”

“Mmm. Good. Too bad we only have a few days left… We could have gone to see my sisters.”

“Maybe over the next long weekend?”

"Yeah..." He got comfortable in his seat for the long drive home.

 

Ivan had the thrilling, terrifying feeling that Louise was the sort of woman he could sink easily into a steady relationship with. So one day, when they were out for their usual drinks and dinner, he asked her to move in with him.

As it turned out, he actually moved in with her, since she had the tv and the walls were better. Thicker to keep out the noise and keep in heating and cooling. Their dishes were a mishmash of their different styles - his fun yellow and red ones and her simple white ones. His couch was chosen, since hers was older, a hand-me-down from her brothers. They were all two years apart, so Gilbert had collected his furniture during his last two years, then given them to Basch at the start of his third year, who had in turn given them to Roderich, then Louise. Apparently she was very used to hand-me-downs no matter the gender.

 

He had only been in Louise’s room once and then only long enough to grab her phone from the charger. What had stood out most in his mind were the white walls and the way it smelled - clean, as if she burned a candle or used air fresheners. While moving in, he was pleased to find even though the units in the buildings were fairly small for two people, his things could fit easily alongside hers. Now he just needed to get used to the layout of their shared place. Mostly they were a mirror image of his rooms, flipped with the kitchen on the right instead of the left and the like, save the bedroom was missing a window. They managed to move all of his things over in one day with enough time to spare to go out and get curtains for the living room. It was the only room which was painted a different color than white, much like his yellow bedroom had been the only painted room in his old apartment.

Once the old couch had been dropped off in the back near the dumpster for whoever wanted to take it, they headed to the store for groceries and the curtains. Ivan insisted on yellow ones, which he felt would make the place feel like spring. Besides, he missed his bedroom which was painted yellow in his abandoned bedroom. Louise seemed amused by his reasoning but relented. Apparently she didn’t mind what color they were so long as they didn’t clash too much with the been.

Instead of making dinner when they got home, Ivan hung up the curtains while Louise ordered take out. By the time the food arrived, they had picked a romantic drama, one of the few genres they could both agree on. One particular scene which stuck out to him was when the two on-screen lovers moved in together. For them, their first night was filled with passionate love making, filmed tastefully with glimpses of hands on skin and slow kisses.

Suddenly Ivan was hyper-aware of Louise who was lounging in his arms, watching the movie with an unreadable expression. Was she enjoying it? Would she too be expecting sex tonight? His mouth was dry at the thought. Today hadn’t been strenuous enough affect any performance, and he wanted to sleep with her, and surely it wouldn’t be rude to at least ask. They were living together after all. Kissing the top of her head, he decided to try, even if the movie wasn’t yet halfway done. After all, they had agreed to go to bed early tonight.

Rubbing her hip gently, he stroked her thigh with the other hand, moving up the inseam of her jeans until she shifted in his arms and he paused, wondering if he had crossed a line, but she was simply getting comfortable, straddling his waist. When she settled down, he was able to continue moving his hand under her shirt and touching higher and higher on her thighs. There was hardly any room for her legs to be folded on either side of him, one pressed down between his side and the couch, the other hanging off the side with her foot on the floor.

While thinking of a solution in which they could both be horizontal and still have room between them to move without laying on an arm, his mind supplied the image of the two of them in gravity-free space, floating above each other. He giggled, half from the image and half because she had brushed her fingers against his stomach, inadvertently tickling him.

She paused and he kissed her to wordlessly tell her to continue. Their shirts were removed after some more adjustments in position, allowing them to finally breech second base. There was a difference, Ivan found out, between being alright with someone knowing you were a little on the soft side and actually being on the soft side, especially when your lover ran every morning and only ate healthy food, save the occasional sweet. She didn’t seem to mind and once the shirts were off, wrapped her arms around his shoulders to keep kissing him. Her bra was chaffing against his chest and he fumbled with the clasps to remove it. Even with two sisters, he wasn’t prepared as he had certainly never removed watched them operate one.

Finally he got it off and cupped a breast, feeling the warm weight settle in his palm. He could get used to situations like this. There wasn't too much he knew about sex but that was part of having a new lover. His older sister had always told him love was something to be made, not spontaneously and perfectly emerge just because two people slept together.

Louise watched him jiggle her breasts, clearly intrigued with the movements.

"Are you done?" she asked dryly, patting his hip to get his attention back on moving along.

Ivan giggled and jiggled them one more time. "Okay, I'm good." So fun!

She rolled her eyes and stood up, tugging on his hand to bring him into the bedroom.

They got settled on the bed with him between her legs, figuring out what made her jump or bite her lip, fingers playing over her soft folds and the small button hidden at the top.

Ah, he finally got a moan and repeated the movement. Her legs trembled as he kept going, rubbing until she tensed up and relaxed. Her face relaxed as well into a cute expression, prompting him to kiss her again and again until she gathered herself enough to kiss him back.

"Eh, Louise..." He pulled her hand to his hip, trying to be polite about her returning the favor. "Please?"

Sitting up, she kissed him again. Gripping him loosely, she stroked him a few times, getting more confident just like he had with her. Ivan rested his head on her shoulder, arms around her waist as he thrust into her hand, the knot in his stomach suddenly releasing as he climaxed.

After getting cleaned up, he curled up around her, kissing the back of her neck lazily as they drifted between sleep and awareness. Definitely worth practicing again and again... And even worth considering a move to a bigger place after university... Yeah. Three kids and a picket fence... That was sounding pretty good....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may go back and add another, better chapter with smut in it, but for now, I'm pretty happy with how it ended


End file.
